Casino Player Magazine | Strictly Slots Magazine | Casino Gambling Tips
Don’t be intimidated by the rituals of the felt By Basil Nestor The best way to feel comfortable is to get beyond the rules of the games, and understand the rules of the felt. Tables have special customs. Here are the basics. It can be intimidating, sitting elbow-to-elbow with a bunch of strangers, […]
Prepare yourself by learning the proper strategies, and it’s a table game worth wagering on by Michael Shackleford Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is a good bet when you use optimal strategy. The game also has a slow pace, which means you’ll lose less money per hour on average. Another side benefit is that casinos often […]
Mastering basic strategy at blackjack means more than memorizing a chart. It’s about understanding how to play offense and defense. By playing offense—making the extra bet and splitting the 8s—we create a situation where we have an edge. Each of our 8s is a stronger building block than the dealer’s 6. My friend Ralph has […]
NON-INTUITIVE BASIC STRATEGY PLAYS By Henry Tamburin Most of the basic playing strategy for blackjack is logical to players. Players understand why they shouldn’t hit a 16 when the dealer shows a 6 upcard, or why they should split 8s against a dealer’s 5. However, some of the basic strategy is not so intuitive: […]
The little-known story of how the game’s basic strategy originated—and why it continues to impact casinos today By Basil Nestor Once upon a time there was no card counting and no basic strategy. Blackjack players made choices intuitively, or they followed “expert” advice that was generally incorrect. Players lost a lot of money making […]
Video poker strategy cards are perfectly legal—so why aren’t more players using them to make the right plays? By Henry Tamburin A video poker strategy card will show you the correct way to play every hand dealt to you. Think of it as a “cheat sheet,” an aid that you can (legally) use when […]
Do you understand how slot payback percentages really work? By John Grochowski The hold percentage on table games is the percentage of the buy-ins kept by the house, while the hold percentage on slot machines is the percentage of wagers kept by the house. This difference has fooled a lot of people over the years. […]
The fast, easy way to master blackjack basic strategy By Michael Shackleford I play a lot of blackjack, and I seldom see other players who have basic strategy down cold. Most dealers and supervisors don’t know it, either. Even many card counters don’t know the nuances. As a gaming writer, it’s my job to […]
An effective (and cheap!) way to hone your table game skills at home When a computer “dealer” nukes your theoretical bankroll, we have a subconscious tendency to think, “Well, this is all pretend. Computers lie. Real cards would be more…real.” This is why practicing with an actual deck can be an eye opener. Let’s […]
Five tactics to help you survive and thrive when the gambling gods abandon you by Basil Nestor So what happened? Luck happened. My game didn’t change, nor did the conditions of play. As old-time gamblers say, “It just came down bad.” An uncomfortable thing happened to me recently. My luck ran bad. It started […]